US, Canada tighten visa policy, brings to light Gujarat's visa fraud cases

Over the last three years, Canada has tightened its visa policy. Moreover, changes and stricter visa regulations in the US have led to a crackdown on visa fraud cases in Gujarat, committed by various agents. 

From March 2022 to the present, 114 criminal cases related to visa frauds have resulted in arrests — which is 113% higher than average. During the post-Covid period of 2022–2023, fraud cases rose by 29% across Gujarat.

There have been numerous complaints involving unregistered agents sending people abroad using fake passports or documents, misguiding students with information about fake or non-existent universities, charging excessive fees, and offering unauthorised visa-related services. In the past 18 months, 203 agents have been arrested for involvement in different kinds of visa-related offences including visa fraud, passport forgery, and illegal migration.

In the past two years, five major high-profile visa fraud cases have been reported in Gujarat. These include:

-Mehsana visa fraud case with four arrests

-A case in Ahmedabad involving visa fraud amounting to ₹41.75 lakh

-Porbandar visa scam of ₹19.80 lakh

-A recent case in March 2025 where an agent in Ahmedabad committed a fraud of ₹1.23 crore

-A case in Vadodara involving fraud of ₹5.61 lakh related to visa processing

Apart from these major cases, numerous smaller visa fraud cases have been resolved at the local level with out-of-court settlements.

A clear trend is visible in these cases– the majority of visa frauds have occurred in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Mehsana. A visa expert in Ahmedabad stated that there is a segment of the population that wants to go abroad by any means — even without any educational background. Their intense desire to move overseas, regardless of cost or legality, is being exploited by these fraudulent agents.

As the US and Canadian governments continue to tighten their visa policies, more fraud cases are expected to come to light.